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The UPSC Marking Scheme 2027 is expected to remain unchanged unless the Commission announces revisions. The Prelims (400 marks) is a screening stage with one-third negative marking, while the final merit is based on Mains (1750 marks) and the Interview (275 marks), making a total of 2025 marks.
Preparing for the UPSC Civil Services Examination requires more than completing the syllabus. Understanding the UPSC Marking Scheme 2027 helps candidates prioritise the right papers, avoid unnecessary mistakes due to negative marking, and plan their preparation according to the marks that actually determine the final rank.
The UPSC Civil Services Examination is conducted in three stages—Prelims, Mains, and the Personality Test (Interview). While the Preliminary Examination is only a qualifying stage, the marks obtained in the Mains (1750) and Interview (275) together decide the final merit list. Here, we’ll explain the complete UPSC marks distribution, negative marking rules, qualifying papers, and final merit calculation based on the latest examination pattern.
The UPSC Civil Services Examination is conducted in three stages:
The Preliminary Examination is only a screening stage. Candidates who qualify the cut-off are shortlisted for the Mains examination.
The final merit list is prepared solely on the basis of marks obtained in the seven merit papers of the Mains (1750 marks) and the Personality Test (275 marks).
| UPSC Exam Marking Scheme 2027 | ||||
| Exam Stage | Type of Exam | Number of Papers | Maximum Marks | Merit Impact |
| UPSC Prelims | Objective (MCQs) | 2 | 400 | Screening only (Not counted in final merit) |
| UPSC Mains | Descriptive | 9 (7 Merit + 2 Qualifying) | 1750 | Counts for final merit |
| UPSC Interview | Personality Test | 1 | 275 | Counts for final merit |
| Total | — | — | 2025 | Final rank is based on these marks |
The Preliminary Examination consists of two objective papers conducted on the same day.
| UPSC Prelims Marking Scheme 2027 | |||
| Paper | Questions | Marks per Question | Total Marks |
| General Studies Paper I | 100 | 2 | 200 |
| CSAT (Paper II) | 80 | 2.5 | 200 |
Total Prelims Marks: 400
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General Studies Paper I is the deciding paper for qualifying for the Mains examination.
It includes questions from:
Each correct answer carries 2 marks.
The Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) is a qualifying paper.
Candidates must score:
If a candidate fails to qualify in CSAT, the General Studies Paper I score is not considered, irrespective of the marks obtained.
Negative marking is applicable only in the Preliminary Examination. The Mains and Personality Test do not have any negative marking.
In Prelims, for every incorrect answer:
| UPSC Negative Marking 2027 | ||
| Paper | Marks per Question | Negative Marks |
| GS Paper I | 2 | 0.66 |
| CSAT | 2.5 | 0.83 |
Candidates who qualify in the Preliminary Examination appear for the Mains examination.
The Mains consists of nine papers, out of which seven papers count for merit, while two language papers are qualifying in nature.
There is no negative marking in the Mains examination.
The first two papers are qualifying only.
| UPSC Qualifying Papers | |
| Paper | Marks |
| Paper A – Indian Language | 300 |
| Paper B – English | 300 |
Candidates must score at least 25% (75 marks) in each paper.
Failure to qualify in either language paper results in disqualification, and the remaining answer sheets are not evaluated.
The merit papers determine the final written score.
| UPSC Essay Marks | |
| Paper | Marks |
| Essay | 250 |
Candidates usually write two essays covering topics related to governance, society, economy, philosophy, science, or current affairs.
Candidates should note that only General Studies Paper I determines the Prelims cut-off, whereas CSAT is qualifying in nature. There are four General Studies papers.
| UPSC GS Paper Marks | ||
| Paper | Subject | Marks |
| GS I | History, Geography, Society & Culture | 250 |
| GS II | Governance, Constitution, Polity & International Relations | 250 |
| GS III | Economy, Technology, Environment, Agriculture & Security | 250 |
| GS IV | Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude | 250 |
Total GS Marks: 1000
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Candidates must choose one optional subject. It consists of two papers.
| UPSC Optional Subject Marks | |
| Paper | Marks |
| Optional Paper I | 250 |
| Optional Paper II | 250 |
Total Optional Marks: 500
Candidates who qualify in the Mains examination are called for the Personality Test.
| UPSC Interview Marks 2027 | |
| Stage | Marks |
| Interview | 275 |
The interview is designed to assess:
UPSC does not prescribe minimum qualifying marks for the Personality Test. However, the marks obtained are added directly to the final merit score.
The final merit is prepared from:
| UPSC Total Marks 2027 | |
| Component | Marks |
| Mains Written Examination | 1750 |
| Personality Test | 275 |
| Total | 2025 |
The Preliminary Examination marks are not added to the final score.
The final score is calculated using the following formula:
Final UPSC Score = Mains Written Marks + Interview Marks
For example:
Final Score = 1610 out of 2025
This score determines the candidate’s rank in the Civil Services Examination.
The UPSC prepares the final merit list after the Personality Test.
The ranking depends on:
Based on the final rank, candidates are allotted services such as:
Understanding the marking scheme can help candidates prepare more strategically.
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The final merit is prepared out of 2025 marks, which includes 1750 marks for the Mains and 275 marks for the Interview.
No. The Preliminary Examination is only a qualifying stage, and its marks are not included in the final merit.
Yes. One-third of the marks assigned to a question are deducted for every incorrect answer.
No. The Mains examination does not have negative marking.
Candidates must score at least 33% (66 marks out of 200) to qualify for the CSAT paper.
The final score is calculated by adding the Mains written examination marks (1750) and the Interview marks (275). The maximum possible score is 2025 marks.
Seven merit papers of the UPSC Mains and the Personality Test are considered for preparing the final merit list. The Prelims and qualifying language papers are not included.
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